By: Usmawati Anggita Sakti (Seafood Savers Communication Assistant)

Business enthusiasm for fisheries improvement programs is increasing year by year. Companies committed to membership in Seafood Savers, a network of sustainable fisheries companies, continues to grow. Not only in terms of numbers, but also types of commodities.

If previously the most commonly registered commodities were tuna, reef fish, capture shrimp, tiger shrimp and crab, this year WWF-Indonesia's fisheries improvement platform is increasingly varied with the inclusion of PT Iroha Sidat Indonesia for eel fisheries.

PT Iroha Sidat Indonesia is a company engaged in the cultivation and processing of eel (Anguilla sp.)in Indonesia.

The company conducts eel farming in Banyuwangi where the origin of glass eel is predominantly captured in the waters of Sukabumi Regency, West Java.

Furthermore, the eel harvested from the ponds will be processed into grilled eel with sauce (unagi kabayaki) at its processing plant to meet domestic and international market share.

Determined to engage in the AIP (Aquaculture Improvement Program) aquaculture improvement program through Seafood Savers membership, the company started its journey by signing a Memorandum of Understanding and Pre-Membership Cooperation Agreement on February 2, 2018 as the first step in conducting a pre-assessment on its fishery.

Although the challenges faced by this company are not the same as other companies where PT Iroha Sidat Indonesia and WWF-Indonesia had to develop a standard of responsible and sustainable eel farming practices or Better Management Practices Sidat, the company has now reached the final stage towards membership.

On October 5, 2018, the company and WWF Indonesia have officially become members of Seafood Savers through the signing of the Member Cooperation Agreement.

Held at the WWF Indonesia Office together with other companies, the agreement document was signed by Imam Musthofa, WWF Indonesia's Marine and Fisheries Program Director and Soetanto as Director of PT Iroha Sidat Indonesia. In accordance with the Seafood Savers scheme, the WWF Indonesia team will then provide assistance in eel farming activities and the capture of glass eel in the sea.

"Efforts towards responsible eel farming practices do require a strong commitment and we have always followed the process. Thanks to WWF, now the collaboration between WWF Indonesia and PT Iroha Sidat Indonesia has reached the stage we are waiting for, which is the implementation of the AIP that refers to the principles of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council standard," said Soetanto, Director of PT Iroha Sidat Indonesia.

In the future, WWF-Indonesia and PT Iroha Sidat Indonesia will immediately begin improvement activities according to the agreed activity design towards ecolabel certification for five years. During the five years, all progress of the company's eel AIP will be monitored by WWF Indonesia team and uploaded to the Seafood Savers website periodically.

"We believe this first eel AIP in Indonesia can be an example for other eel processors, so that the sustainability of eel can be maintained," Soetanto added.